Morning light filtered through the blinds.
Vell opened his eyes slowly, confused for a moment by the softness beneath him. A real bed. He had almost forgotten what it felt like.
Maya was already awake. He heard her moving around in the kitchen, the familiar sounds of cupboards opening and closing.
His body ached.
Every muscle protested as he sat up. The jump from yesterday had left bruises across his legs and back.
But they were alive. Somehow, they had made it home.
He checked his status.
[Health: 78/100]
[Current Level: 5 (450/700)]
[Rank: 4,213
His rank had improved. Not that it mattered much. As he had told Maya, survival was the priority, not winning whatever twisted game this was.
"Morning," Maya said from the doorway.
She held two mugs of something steaming. "I found some instant coffee in the pantry. It's probably terrible, but it's hot."
He took the offered mug gratefully. "Thanks. How did you sleep?"
"Better than on a convenience store floor," she said with a small smile. She sat on the edge of the bed, her own mug clutched between her hands.
"I was thinking we should check out the roof today. See what's happening in the city."
He nodded. "Good idea. We need to know what we're dealing with."
After finishing their coffee and eating a nice breakfast, they prepared to head up to the roof. Vell grabbed his pipe and the hunting knife he kept in his closet. Maya took a kitchen knife, tucking it into her belt.
"Just in case," she said when he raised an eyebrow.
The stairwell to the roof was at the end of the hallway. They moved quietly, listening for any sounds from the other apartments. Nothing but silence greeted them.
"Do you think everyone is just... gone?" she whispered as they climbed the stairs.
"I don't know," he admitted. "Maybe they evacuated. Or..."
He didn't finish the thought. They both knew the alternative.
The door to the roof was unlocked. He pushed it open slowly, pipe ready in his hand. The roof was empty. Just the usual air conditioning units, satellite dishes, and the small garden owned by a woman from room 3B.
The plants were already wilting without care.
They stepped out into the open air. From their vantage point, they could see much of the city spread before them. The sight took their breath away.
The five towers dominated the landscape. Each one rose from a different part of the city, massive black spires that seemed to pierce the sky. The red haze that had filled the air since they appeared hung heavier around them, like blood in water.
"They're so... big," Maya said, her voice small. "I didn't realize how big they were."
Vell nodded silently. From here, he could see the destruction more clearly. Entire blocks had been flattened when the towers emerged from the ground. Buildings were crushed, roads split open. Smoke still rose from several areas, marking ongoing fires that no one was fighting.
"Look," she pointed to the streets below. "The infected."
From this height, they could see the infected moving in groups. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, wandering aimlessly through the streets. Occasionally, a group would change direction suddenly, as if drawn by a sound or movement.
"And there," he spotted something else. "People."
A small group of survivors was making its way carefully through the streets, avoiding the infected. They moved quickly and with purpose, heading toward one of the towers.
"Why would they go toward a tower?" Maya asked.
"I don't know," he replied. "Maybe they think it's safer? Or maybe they know something we don't."
They watched in silence as the city breathed beneath them. The wind carried distant screams and the occasional sound of gunfire.
"Oh," he said suddenly, reaching into his pocket. "My phone. I forgot I even had it."
He pulled out his smartphone, surprised to find it still had battery. He hadn't used it since the towers appeared, when all communications seemed to stop.
He pressed the power button, not expecting much. To his shock, the screen lit up.
"It works?" Maya moved closer, peering at the device.
"Seems like it," he said, equally surprised. After a moment, the notification icons began to appear. Messages, missed calls, social media alerts. Dozens of them.
"The internet is still working," he said in disbelief. "How is that possible?"
He opened his messaging app. Most of the texts were from the first day, friends and coworkers frantically asking if he was okay, where he was, what was happening.
"Alex, Mia, Jun..." he scrolled through the names. "All trying to contact me."
Maya leaned against his shoulder. "Are there any recent ones?"
He nodded, opening a message from two days ago.
"It's from Jun. He says he and a group are at the university. They've barricaded the science building. They have food, water, weapons." He looked up at Maya. "He says they're safe, for now."
"The university," Maya said thoughtfully. "That's on the other side of the city."
He nodded, scrolling through more messages. "Mia says she's with a group heading north, out of the city entirely. And Alex..." He paused, reading the message twice. "Alex says the military has set up a safe zone at the stadium."
A notification flashed on his screen.
[New Quest Available: Seek Allies]
[Description: Find and join other survivors to increase your chances of survival]
[Reward: 1500 Experience, Increased Reputation]
"We have a new quest," he told Maya, showing her the notification.
She read it quickly. "So what do we do? Try to reach one of these places?"
He looked back out at the city, at the towers and the infected and the ruins of what had once been their home.
"I don't know," he admitted. "The stadium is closest, but we don't know if it's still safe. The university has Jun, but it's across the city. And heading north with Mia means leaving everything behind."
Maya was quiet for a moment. "We don't have to decide right now, do we?"
He shook his head. "No. We're safe here, at least for the moment. We have food, water, shelter. We can take a day or two to recover, to plan."
She nodded, relief evident on her face. "Good. Because honestly, I don't think I can face another dire wolf today."
Despite everything, he laughed. A real laugh, the first in days. Maya joined in, the sound carrying across the rooftop.
For a moment, standing there in the sunshine, with the world broken below them, they allowed themselves to feel something like hope.
Then a system message appeared.
[Warning: Tutorial Day 6]
[Days Remaining: 8]
[Difficulty Increase: Monster spawns increased by 25%]
The laughter died in his throat. Maya silent too, checking her own system.
"It's getting worse," she said quietly.
He nodded. "It is. But we're getting stronger too." He put his arm around her shoulders. "And we're together. That's what matters."
They stayed on the roof a while longer, watching the city, planning their next move.